Google recently updated its official Gmail application for iOS, adding the new category-based inbox that we previously reported about, while also improving notification options for iPhone and iPad users. The new Gmail for iOS, which weighs in at 13.7 megabytes and requires iOS 5.0 or later, is available as a free download in the App Store for those of you who are interested.

The new notification option promises to alert users to all messages, only important messages, or none at all on an account-specific basis. Users are given the option to customize these settings from the in-app settings page. As far as the new inbox goes, when enabled, groups mail into categories, allowing users to see what’s new at a glance and more easily decide which emails to read.

The updated application shows primary mail first, while emails in other categories can be viewed by opening the menu. Users can configure this feature by accessing Gmail on a traditional computer. For those of you unaware of this already, the updated Gmail inbox layout was brought to iOS devices via the Safari Web browser last week while the new tabbed interface was first unveiled by Google at its annual developers I/O conference last month.